minigallery: End of the Mars500 520-day isolation

The record-breaking simulated mission to Mars has ended with smiling faces after 17 months. Mars500’s six brave volunteers stepped out of their ‘spacecraft’ on 4 November and were welcomed by the waiting scientists – happy that the venture had worked even better than expected.

On 8 November they met the press in media conference held at the RIA Novosti in Moscow.